


Journey to Love

by TimeLordsWife



Category: Benedict Cumberbatch - Fandom, Doctor Who, Fifth estate, Sherlock (TV), Star Trek, The Hobbit
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 10:39:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2544518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimeLordsWife/pseuds/TimeLordsWife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meet Lola, educated, privileged, intelligent.</p><p>Now Lola is 20 and living rough, just scraping by through pub quizzes and selling a magazine.</p><p>But how will Lola's life change as she experiences an encounter with a familiar looking stranger?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

I'm Lola, Lola Trenchard. I lived a privileged life on the outskirts of London. A large house. Edwardian, 8 bedrooms, 3 halls, grand pianos, long curtains, acres of land, horses, animals, family, friends. The prominent word that not many people will have noticed in that statement is the 'lived'. Past tense. I left that life behind 3 years ago. You see, my dad, he died, 5 years ago, died in his sleep, he wasn't particularly old, 56, too young. 

Mum didn't cope well with the death. Not at all. Just a few weeks after the death, she found her way to get by. She started inviting strange men to the house, in seek of comfort, scared of being alone through the night. A year after sleeping with a new man every night, mum kept one person, he was nice, for the first few months. After that, that's when the abuse started. But not to mum.

He began abusing me.

Emotionally.

Mentally.

Physically.

After another year, I couldn't stand it any longer. So I packed a small bag. And ran.

I left this out of my introduction, I usually do, but now, I live in a cosy place, it's free, it's safe-ish, I have a small job of selling a special magazine in Central London. Basically, I'm homeless, what money I earn goes on food and a gym membership, I use the gym because I can warm up and get a shower whenever I feel like it then! 

I've made a good few friends round here, some of them have moved on to another street, so with no mobile phones, I have no way to contact them. Nothing's permanent in this world anyway. 

One night a week, a Tuesday, I go into a pub near the doorway I sleep in, it's cosy, and the owner gives me a free pint whenever I come in for a quiz night. Quiz night is my favourite, it reminds me that I am intelligent, it reminds me of my privileged education and my successful GCSE grades I received. I'm 20 now, and I'm actually kind of happy. I've won the past 5 quiz nights which earns me a healthy £50 a go.

I usually play alone, until a man, a tall man, with dark black hair, looking dyed, pale skin, sharp like cliff edges cheekbones, bushy eyebrows and a kind smile walked in, and asked to join me, most people know I'm homeless so stay well away from me, terrified they'll catch flees or something from gaining eye sight. To outsiders, I look like an average pub go-er, in my dark wash jeans and baggy baseball-like tourist "London" Tshirt, not forgetting my trusty baseball cap, which is placed on the table.

Tonight I didn't play the quiz alone, I had company. I recognised the tall man, he was on the cover of the magazine I sell once, Benjamin? Ben? Bene-something? I don't care, he will only want to take half of my winnings anyway.

"Excuse me dear, Is this seat taken?"

His voice was deep, not in a threatening way, but in an almost endearing way, where you feel the need to lean into his voice to hear the vowels fully. He was smiling, and looking into my eyes, people who normally approach me keep their eyes down and walk faster away from me, often shaking their heads. 

"No, it's fine, you can have it sir"

But instead of taking the chair to another table, he simply sat down next to me, and asked possibly the best question I have ever been asked, "will you marry me?", no, he didn't really say that, of course, although if he did, I would have probably accepted, just to hear his voice again. 

"The Lone Ranger as a team name won't do when there's two of us you know, anything better?"

I just stated at him in shock. He's funny as well! I didn't know how to respond. So I just simply burst out laughing, my over grown fringe falling into my face, but as I went to brush it behind me ear, his hand caught mine, and he did it for me. His gently fingers sliding across my cheek, tucking my stray hair behind my ear, and letting his fingers linger for a second on my face.

"The Two Musketeers?" I questioned through my laughter.

"It'll have to do, I suppose" he laughed. 

"I'm Lola" I said, stretching my hand out to meet his in a friendly hand shake, "Benedict, lovely to meet you Lola, now, should we kick some drunken arse?!"

We met up every Tuesday quiz night for about 3 months, it became fun! "Same time, same place next week?" became our motto. I've grown quite fond of Benedict Cumberbatch, although sadly, he has no idea about the real me yet.


	2. Chapter 2

Same place, same time, 8 weeks later. Yet again, we were a formidable force with only one wrong answer on his part. Being the gentleman he is, he gave me the winnings.

"Wanna get a coffee? My apartment is only a couple of streets away?"

I hadn't prepared myself for this moment, but of course, I accepted. After putting on his coat and scarf, he helped me into my own jacket, before linking our arms and walking out into the cold winter nights street. Neither of us spoke much through the ten minute walk, our mouths closed due to coldness and nervousness. At one point, we walked under a bridge, a bridge that I know well, too well. As we walked through, homeless people slept at our feet, the overwhelming stench of piss made his eyes water, me? Well I'm used to it. "Who could live like this?!" Benedict sighed to himself, sounding almost disappointed, he would hate me if he knew. We walked past one empty doorway, my doorway, if I don't stay there tonight, someone else will have claimed it by morning, forcing me to move along again. He can't ever know the truth. 

"Lola, hey Lola!!" I heard a voice shout from down the tunnel, it was Shirley, an old woman who sleeps in the doorway across from mine, she escaped from a controlling husband 16 years ago and has been living here since, she's been more of a mum to me than anyone. I turned and looked pleadingly at her, she understood and said "don't forget to drop buy and buy my paper tomorrow!" Good save Shirley. I simply waved and carried on walking. Not long after the bridge, we appeared in a swanky, smart part of London, high rise buildings everywhere.

Benedict pulled me in through a door outside a large white building and we took the elevator to what must have been the top floor, but I wasn't counting and had no intention of looking down to count. Opening the door, he smiled at me, and welcomed me in to him home, a neat, professional and impersonal apartment, which I loved. After taking off my shoes, I walked straight forward and sat on the overly comfy sofa whilst he made coffee "black, no milk or sugar please" I asked. 

Once he'd finished, he turned on the television and we sat and watched the entertainment news, as we got to know each other. We talked for what seemed like hours. Then the kissing began, and it was so good. Gently, he pressed his lips to mine, and fan a thumb down my cheekbones, the other hand cupping my head. I allowed my hands to rest on his chest, until both of out hands started to wander. I took off his shirt first, the he took off my top, and so on. It was all great, until we heard a name on the news. His name. 

"Benedict Cumberbatch has reportedly been spotted around London, cosying up with a local homeless person."

"Lola Trenchard's mother, Christina Angelique Trenchard, said she spotted them walking through a Howden Bridge, where Lola lives, looking very cosy, but he does not seem to know about her life"

"We'll have more to report on the news when Benedict reports back" 

I could already feel tears in my eyes, my heart pounding, people have found out about my life before and hurt me, beaten me real bad. Tears poured down my face. He looked so ashamed.

"Is this true?" He asked me, his eyebrows burrowing close to his eyes, either in concern or anger, I could not tell.

"I have to go" I declared, no eye contact, I threw my clothes back on, left me jumper and ran, I ran out of the apartment, I could hear him shouting me, I bolted for the lift, I don't want to be hurt, I slammed the button. To my advantage, the lift was still on my floor, so I was able to get in, press the button for the ground floor, and watch the doors close as Benedict ran towards the lift, tears streaming down his face, matching mine, and the doors closed. I could hear his fists slam against the metal doors, before the lift descended. 

"Goodbye Benedict" I shouted

"I love you" I whispered


End file.
